The City Emergency Management Organization held their 6th annual Symposium at the Biltmore Plaza on Wednesday, February 7, 2018. This year’s 2-day symposium was held under the theme “Building on Hurricane Preparedness, Response, and Resilience of Municipalities” and saw the participation and representation of several key stakeholders and sponsorship. Some stakeholders that gave remarks on day one of the symposium included representation from the Atlantic Bank, Belize Port Authority, the Embassy of Taiwan, Mayor Darrel Bradley and other councilors, CEMO, and other pertinent entities.

Day one of the symposium, carried under the facilitation of Margaret McKenzie, Director of Legal Affairs with the Belize City Council, focused on the effects of previous hurricanes as well as local and international emergency preparedness and response. Hurricanes remain to be a major threat to the country and as a result, the main focus of the symposium by bringing together all stakeholders to become involved in trainings, presentations, and capacity building.

According to Mayor Bradley, the year’s city Emergency Preparedness Plan contrasts greatly with that of six years ago and that can partly be attributed to the international support that has been received. It may also be due to the idea of widening the dialogue within the local community, PAHO, educational institutions, NGOs, NEMO, CEMO, the Belize Police Department, and other stakeholders. In his remarks, the Mayor also signaled the participation of the Belize Assembly for Persons with Diverse Abilities, a fairly new accomplishment.

While the symposium saw the joining together of group forces and initiatives, the mayor also highlighted a new approach of individual awareness saying, “The ultimate aim is that we would, in the public, raise awareness about the individual’s responsibility to make sure that they’re prepared”.

Day two of the event focused on a fairly new scare to the country, tsunamis. Belize has just recently received a tsunami threat and the symposium will focus on better preparing for another such event as well as media response to natural disasters, the Belize Port Authority’s action plan before and after hurricanes, and, the Belize Police Department’s operation during hurricanes.